Welcome
by That Girl Friday
Summary: Self-insertion fic. A group of real-world kids get pulled into the Pokemon world and get a chance at the adventure of a lifetime. A chance for a new beginning. NEW CHAPTER
1. Computer Problems

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, ideas or Pokemon that are taken from the television show or the game, Pokemon. I do, however, own Kelsey.  
  
Welcome  
  
The very electronic sound of the Gameboy's music filtered through the more natural sounds of the park; birds, children's laughter and the chattering of the squirrels. The disturbance in question was coming from the small purple machine in the hands of a teenager.  
  
She was lounging casually on a park bench and her focus was entirely on the small screen in front of her. Strands of blonde hair were hastily shoved behind her ears and her tongue was stuck slightly out of her mouth.  
  
"Come on," she whispered to herself, almost fanatically, "You've almost got it. Just a couple more hits and he's gone..." On the screen a Poliwhirl faced off against a Charizard, both their health's depleted to near extinction. With a quick pounding of buttons she sucked in a nervous breath, waiting for the results.  
  
Slowly, the breath escaped and a smile spread across the girl's face. In a burst of glee-based adrenaline she jumped from the bench, holding her Gameboy above her head in familiar stance, "I beat Red!"  
  
As others in the park turned to give her odd looks, she felt a blush rising up her face. With embarrassment she quickly sat back down on the bench. Shutting off her Pokemon Gold game she slipped the Gameboy into the knapsack at her feet before stretching her legs out in front of her. With a quick role of her shoulders she loosened her neck muscles, relaxing after all of that stooped concentration.  
  
That relaxation was short lived as she looked down at her watch and saw the time. "Crap!" she one again jumped from the bench with a shouted exclamation, this time ignoring the annoyed looks she got. Flinging her bag on to her back, she set off across the park at a run.  
  
"You're a moron, Kelsey," was her muttered recrimination to herself, "You had one thing to do this entire weekend, and now you screwed that up too." So caught up in her anger and rush, the girl, Kelsey, didn't even notice the drifting piece of paper that was slowly heading towards her. She wouldn't be able to ignore it for much longer.  
  
With a sudden gust of wind, the paper was shoved directly into Kelsey's face, tangling around her nose, and blocking her eyes from the path in front of her. With sudden shock at the paper, the balance she had under only slight control was lost and Kelsey was sent tumbling down to the loose rocks that made up the path.  
  
As the stones bit into her knees and palms, the paper dropped to the ground in front of her. Kelsey bit back a curse at the sharp pain running through her and examined the damage. Her hands were scraped raw, but there was no bleeding. Looking at her knees, she was glad she had decided not to wear shorts today. Her jeans had protected her from the majority of the rocks. Majority excluded the small pebble that had wedged a hole in the thick blue material.  
  
"Damn." It was the only explanation necessary for the small holes in the jeans. When Kelsey looked up, the first thing she saw was the single sheet of white paper on the ground in front of her. Picking it up she pushed herself to her feet before looking more closely.  
  
The symbol at the top was familiar to Kelsey, not that she would admit it to many people. Pokemon was not an acceptable liking for many sixteen year olds. The pokeball showed at the top was a standard red and white ball; it was the words underneath that interested Kelsey.  
  
Pokemon Trainer's League  
  
Become a real Pokemon Trainer  
Experience the Adventure of a Life Time  
  
A Chance for a new Beginning  
  
Following that was a regular internet address. Kelsey's green eyes slanted with confusion as she quickly reread the paper. What were they talking about? She knew there was a League for the card game; maybe this was for the video game.  
  
With a shrug, Kelsey quickly pushed the paper into her bag, resolving to check out the internet site later. Now, she was already late for her community involvement. Rushing off, she let the odd piece of paper drift from her consciousness.  
  
~  
  
A couple hours later, it was a much more tired girl who walked into the two-story house. Quickly kicking off her running shoes, Kelsey stampeded up the stairs in her usual manner and walked into her room. She then collapsed onto her bed in a good imitation of a boneless heap.  
  
Her muscles were aching and the scrapes on her hands throbbed in constant pain. "I am never volunteering at a children's camp again." The pillow her face was buried in muffled the words. After several minutes of blissful stillness she reached out for her discarded bag.  
  
Sticking her hand in she reached for her Gameboy, wanting to get lost in the wonderful world of Pokemon once again. Instead, she felt her hand settle on a slightly crumpled piece of paper. She couldn't quite remember what it was as she pulled it from the bag.  
  
As she saw the pokeball the odd message came back to her, and she read the paper again, hoping it made more sense now. Of course, the words hadn't changed, and offered no more meaning to Kelsey then they had before.  
  
Making up her mind, Kelsey pushed herself up from her bed with a groan. She had to find out what this paper was all about. Heading down to the basement she waited patiently as the family computer loaded. Before long, she pulled up her internet explorer home page. Looking down at the paper, she typed in the address and hit enter.  
  
As the page loaded she was greeted with a copy of the paper. There was the same pokeball symbol and the same confusing words. At the bottom, the address that had been on the paper was replaced with a simple underlined link: Enter  
  
Kelsey shrugged her shoulders, "Might as well." Clicking once on link she watched as a new page replaced the old one. Instead of the website she had been expecting, Kelsey was confronted with some kind of registration form. Sensing some kind of scam, she got ready to leave the window when the title caught her attention.  
  
Confront you Destiny  
  
With a sigh, Kelsey let her head fall into her hands in front of the screen. With a sigh, she began to talk to herself. "Why do you have to be such a dreamer? It's not like it's actually real. You're just wasting you're time when nothing will come out of it."  
  
Resigned to her idealistic dreams, Kelsey slowly began filling out the form. It looked like there wasn't anything that could be used expressly against her, like her address, or her SIN number. Filling in the form quickly and truthfully, Kelsey paused at submit button.  
  
Arguing between her practical side and her intuitive side she fiddled around with the mouse for about five minutes. In a swift moment of decision, she clicked on the button before she could change her mind.  
  
As the next page loaded, Kelsey let out an embarrassed laugh. She couldn't believe she had gotten that worked up over something so little. "Well, I've had my bit of fun." Just as the teenager went to click on the small X in the corner an additional window popped up.  
  
Thinking it was just another pop-up add, Kelsey went to delete it. It was a second later that she noticed the symbol on it. Another pokeball symbol took up almost the entire small screen. As she watched, the yellow and blue letters that usually spelled 'Pokemon' scrolled across the screen. The message was simple: Welcome.  
  
As she watched, the pokeball burst open and a blinding light seemed to spill from the scream. Kelsey shielded her eyes and fell forward with the blast of light. Instead of hitting the computer, like she expected, she kept falling and falling. Everything faded out.  
  
When the light from the screen faded, the pokeball was once again closed and the words were unmoving. In front of the computer, there was nothing but an empty chair.  
  
~  
  
Notes: Yes, another self-insertion. I've had writer's block for a while and have decided to write this to help beat it, plus, it's fun. If you'd like to join Kelsey on her journey, send me an e-mail or a review with the information at the bottom in it. I'll try to use everyone if I can. Additional note: I'll be far more likely to use you if you have lower level, common Pokemon. Plus, no Ruby/Sapphire Pokemon please. I'm completely unfamiliar with them.  
  
Name: Age: Appearance: Personality: Pokemon:  
  
I hope you enjoy! 


	2. Team Rocket

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you may recognize from the Pokemon video games, television show or movies. I do however own the plot, Kelsey, Ella and Ian. Rachel and any other real world trainer belong to themselves. Please do not use any of the characters without permission from the creator.  
  
Welcome  
Chapter 2  
  
The pile of limbs, clothes and tangled brown and blonde hair twitched. With a painful groan the two girls tried to separate from the position they had landed in. As their hair knotted and brought them stumbling back down in pain there were yelps to be heard. After several minutes of fiddling and yanking the two of them sat back, free from the others hair.  
  
The teenagers sat across from each other and stared with wide-eyed surprise. Kelsey was sufficiently surprised to find herself in a small forest clearing instead of her familiar basement. There wasn't even a forest within a mile of her house. Facing off against her was around her age. Her brown hair was cut to around her shoulders, and it looked slightly wavy. It was hard to tell, though, as it was suitably mussed after the fall and the following battle of hairs. Bright blue eyes stared right back at her.  
  
"Hi." It was lame, but she said it. Kelsey was at a loss for any other words at the moment. The situation had weirded her out, and it looked like it had done the same to the other girl. The girl jumped a little at the greeting and then paused for a second.  
  
"Hello," the reply was hesitant and soft-spoken. After debating with herself for several seconds she continued, "I'm Rebecca." She then closed her mouth and returned to the staring the two of them had chosen as the activity of choice.  
  
She smiled shakily at the girl, Rebecca, before answering. "I'm Kelsey. Nice to meet you?" The last part was added as an uncertain pleasantry. Neither really knew how to react in such a situation and felt decidedly out of place. Nothing they had ever done before had prepared them for this.  
  
The other girl smiled at her and they were left in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes. They looked around, confused at the surroundings. The forest was lush and green. It didn't make sense; the trees should be just budding right about now. By the looks of it, it should be early summer here.  
  
"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," the expression was out of her lips before she could stop it, and she felt a blush rising on her cheeks as Rebecca turned back to her. Sometimes she let her mouth get ahead of her head. She waited to see Melissa's reaction.  
  
"Maybe we should follow the yellow brick road?" The two of them shared small smiles. Kelsey wasn't that good at interaction, but at that moment, she was glad she had someone here with her. It would have been terrible to land alone.  
  
A crashing in the bush suddenly drew the girls' attention away from each other. Twigs crunched as two oddly dressed people came thundering through. The woman's hair was done up in a style that defied all rules of gravity that Kelsey had ever learned, and she found herself fascinated by it.  
  
Her partner turned to regard the two teenagers and he let a triumphant smile cover his face. "Found them! I knew they were around her somewhere!" The man turned triumphantly to his partner, "And you wanted to double back!"  
  
"Okay, okay. They're here." She conceded, an annoyed expression on her face, "Let's just get them and go. Why do we have to do this stupid babysitting assignment anyway?" The bored expression on her face told that she would much rather be doing other things.  
  
"You know how important this project is to the boss, Ella," the man explained patiently, practically ignoring Rachel and Kelsey, "He went to all the trouble of tricking these kids into this dimension so he could mould them into the perfect agents."  
  
The female Team Rocket member, Ella, sighed. "He doesn't need them. Honestly, can't he just be happy with what he had? We're great agents." Her face was set stubbornly. "How did he manage to bring them here anyway, Ian?"  
  
"Who knows?" Ian replied, "You know the boss. If it's not one thing he's experimenting with, it's another. There was that whole cover up about New Island..." He looked around nervously, "No one even talks about it anymore because they're so afraid of him. Just don't ask questions."  
  
Kelsey, meanwhile, was staring in dumbfounded shock at Ian and Ella. Her brain wasn't processing the information correctly, she was sure of it. It wasn't possible. "Team Rocket?" The words came out in a high-pitched squeak.  
  
Rachel laughed shakily at the comment, also staring at these two strange youths. The sight of that odd Pokemon website flashed through her memory. There was no way that could have possibly... "What is this, some kind of joke? It's not funny."  
  
Ian stared at her with raised eyebrows before rolling his eyes. He sighed. "Welcome to the Pokemon World. If you cooperate with us you will be offered the chance of a lifetime. As new recruits to the wonderful Team Rocket you will be offered..."  
  
"What?" The girls' exclamation was simultaneous as the panic first began to settle in the pits of Kelsey's stomach. If this was what she thought it was, then they were in a lot of trouble. She slowly began backing away, tugging Rachel along with her. She had the feeling that they had to get out of here, and quick.  
  
Ella saw the movement and smiled, reaching for her belt. "I love it when they try to run." Kelsey and Rachel exchanged scared looks as they continued to scramble backwards. "Gloom! Go!" The blue grass and poison pokemon exploded from its pokeball with a flash of bright light. The girls stopped in their tracks, amazed at what they were seeing.  
  
"A real, live pokemon," Kelsey whispered in awe, transfixed by the overgrown weed. It was almost to good to be true, if they forgot that two Team Rocket agents were confronting them after being sucked from their world.  
  
Of course, they weren't allowed to forget for long, as Ian followed by releasing his Primeape. The monkey like pokemon scowled at the two girls, causing them to jump back before once again beginning to scramble away. Ella quickly took action.  
  
"Gloom! Use sleep powder attack!" The pokemon waddled a bit before releasing a cloud of pores that began drifting towards the girls. Even if they hadn't known what the attack would do, they would have gotten the drift from its name.  
  
Rachel was the first to speak in the situation, "Run!" The two teenagers immediately turned tail and dashed into the undergrowth. They crashed through, unheeding of the branches, rocks and debris that served as obstacles. Their bare arms were scratched repeatedly as they paid no attention to wear they were going.  
  
As Rachel and Kelsey continued their mad dash through the forest they could hear Ella and Ian pursuing them. The minutes wore on and Kelsey could feel the burn growing in her chest from exhaustion. "I am so out of shape." The words were wheezed out between her desperate gasps of breath.  
  
It seemed like an eternity before the two exploded into open space, and right into someone else. Their momentum forced Kelsey and Rachel to bring themselves and whoever they had run into to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs.  
  
"What is going on?" The voice from underneath the two teenage girls was decidedly male and they quickly scrambled off of him, still struggling to catch their breath. Sheepishly, they pulled the young man to his feet. He looked to be around their age; tall, with brown hair and the most familiar looking yin-yang pendant around his neck.  
  
"Well, you see..." Rachel began, a blush staining her cheeks. She didn't get to finish as their pursuers emerged from the forest, short of breath and very annoyed. Their formerly clean and pressed uniforms were now dirt splattered and ripped from the chase through the forest.  
  
"Look what you did to my uniform." Ella was practically purple with rage at the girls. "Screw handing you over to the boss. I'm going to kill you." The conviction in her voice was scary, and Kelsey and Rachel quickly stepped behind the teenage boy who was now staring at Ian and Ella in annoyance.  
  
"Team Rocket?" he scoffed. He clearly didn't have a very high opinion of them. Not that the girls did, but they were afraid enough that they weren't talking back much. This guy's stance screamed arrogant as he snorted at the pair. "As if."  
  
Ian scowled at the man before turning to his Primeape. "Primeape, show them what you've got! Use Fury attack!" The Primeape scowled and began running towards the three. Kelsey and Rachel closed their eyes; they didn't want to see what was about to happen to them. So, she didn't see the boy reach to his own belt and pull off a small, red and white ball. Tossing it into the air, the bright light it released formed a sleek black form, gold symbols bright on its fur.  
  
"Umbreon!" His voice was strong and without fear, "Use growl." Opening its mouth, the pokemon produced a deep noise that seemed to reverberate throughout your body. The girls snapped their eyes open to see what was happening. Primeape froze at the sound, and seemed to almost shudder. "Now, Umbreon! Use faint attack!"  
  
Umbreon seemed to fade away right in front their eyes before reappearing behind Primeape and hitting him with a powerful takedown. Primeape fell to the ground and did not get up again. Ian growled quickly before returning him to his pokeball and glaring at the Umbreon trainer.  
  
Ella stepped forward and pointed at Umbreon. "Gloom, use vine whip on that Umbreon!" Green vines seemed to lash out from the flower-like pokemon and whip forward to lash at Umbreon. Kelsey let out a sound of worry as she saw the beautiful Eevee evolution flinch.  
  
The teenage boy didn't even blink. "Use Focus Energy, you can do this Umbreon!" As they watched, the symbols on Umbreon's body and he's eyes began to glow with power, getting brighter by the second.  
  
Ella watched with contempt. "Don't worry about it, Gloom! Use tackle attack to take that stupid dog down!" Gloom began waddling towards Umbreon; it was actually pretty fast for something with that short of legs. When it was close enough, Gloom leaped into the air and came towards on Umbreon hard. The boy simply smirked at this turn in the battle.  
  
Just as Gloom connected with Umbreon, the energy that it had collected lashed out and entered the grass and poison type. There was a small explosion, and Gloom flew back, landing in a heap at her trainer's feet. Gloom had fainted.  
  
Ella recalled Gloom and glared at the girls' mysterious saviour, who was petting the head of his Umbreon and wishing him a job well done. She then turned on Rachel and Kelsey. When she spoke, her tone contained pure venom. "This isn't over."  
  
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as Ian threw something to the ground. Smoke began to rise around them, and vision dropped to a zero. The last words they heard from Ian and Ella were, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"  
  
When the smoke cleared, they were alone in the field, Team Rocket nowhere in sight. Rachel and Kelsey looked around for the missing bad guys, but their hero just shook his head as he recalled his Umbreon. "Amateurs. It was barely worth the effort." He then turned towards the two girls, smiling in a charming, but arrogant way. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Gary Oak."  
  
There was a gasp of surprise from Rachel as Kelsey managed to force out words, "The Gary Oak?"  
  
"Professor Oak's grandson?"  
  
"From Pallet Town?"  
  
"Ash's rival?"  
  
Gary sighed and let a drop of sweat roll down his forehead with embarrassment. "Oh, it's you people again. You just keep popping up, don't you? Come on, I'll take you to Gramps..." He turned and walked off, leaving the girls to stare in his wake. They quickly came to their sentences and jogged after the guy who, up until a couple of hours ago, they thought was a cartoon character.  
  
~  
  
Next on Welcome: Kelsey and Rachel get an explanation and their first Pokemon. Another confrontation with Team Rocket brings a new ally and they get an idea of what would have happened to them if they hadn't got away from Ian and Ella. All that and more! So tune in for the next instalment of Welcome!  
  
Okay, that was fun. This is actually a really fun story to write. Thank you all for the enormous support. As I write this we already have 16 trainers, including me. I have an idea for every one of you, as well. Of course, not all of you will be main characters, we have about six of those, but all of you will be featured at one point or another. Some of them may be short cameos, but I do what I can.  
  
If you'd still like to be involved, keep sending your characters. There are always more people to meet. I just need you're name, age, appearance, personality and any Pokemon you want, within reason. No ruby/sapphire pokemon.  
  
Note: I may change some Pokemon line-ups minutely. If I do, it won't be by much. I'm just trying to make the story somewhat believable and fun for everyone involved. 


	3. Someone New

Disclaimer: Any characters or plot affiliated with Pokemon is not mine. However, Kelsey, Ella and Ian are mine. Any other original trainers are the property of their creators. Please do not use without permission.

Sorry for the break between updates, real life got a little complicated. Updates may be scarce for a while, with exams and summatives coming up, plus the rugby season.  
  
Welcome  
Chapter 3  
  
"So, what are you saying?" Kelsey tone was confused as she looked on at the pleasant white haired man. Gary rolled his eyes beside her as he continued to juggle pokeballs with a bored look on his face. Turning to give him a quick glare she tried to wrap her mind around everything she had learned in the past couple of hours.  
  
Professor Oak gave the two girls what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "You're not the only people to be thrown into this world. There have been cases reported throughout the regions of children dropping from the sky. It's really quite amazing. I'd be very interested to find out how Team Rocket did it. Creating controlled inter-dimensional portals... Can you imagine the possibilities?"  
  
When he was greeted by three blank stares he was reminded once again that he was dealing with three teenagers. Rebecca looked up nervously, fiddling with her necklace. "Are you saying you don't know how to get us home?" The look in the girls' eyes was a little desperate.  
  
"I'm sorry," it was the only thing the professor could think to say. "The technology is unknown to us. Only Team Rocket has the key, and we have very little hope of getting it from them." Gary's snort broke his line of speech. He glared at his grandson. "As individuals, they aren't invincible, but to take them out as a whole would be near impossible."  
  
Kelsey felt her spirits drop at the words. As much as she might have dreamed of this happening, she didn't actually expect it to. It hurt to think that her family was at home and they had no idea where she was, or what had happened to her. It was downright depressing.  
  
Her silent musings were interrupted by Rebecca's soft-spoken words, "So, what are we supposed to do?" Her eyes beseeched the professor. The seventeen year old was feeling just as lost as Kelsey and was looking for something to find hope in.  
  
At that comment, Professor Oak visibly perked up, a bright smile covering his features. "Of course there's something that you can do!" He quickly pushed up from his seat and moved over to a near by filling cabinet. Beginning to rifle through he continued speaking. "The children we've found so far have all decided on this course of action. I assure you, it isn't the worst thing that could happen! Here, can I assume you two know what these are?"  
  
As he finished, he emerged from the drawer, carrying a small device in each hand. Their red covers were shiny and new and they looked more expensive than anything Kelsey had ever owned in her life. As she noticed the reflective sensor in the upper left corner Kelsey slowly realized what the machines must be.  
  
A small gasp escaped from Rachel and Kelsey knew she had come to the same conclusion. "A pokedex." The words came out in an awed kind of gasp. Professor Oak smiled indulgingly at the two teenage girls before handing one to each.  
  
"Your pokedex." He corrected softly. He then quickly turned and returned to the desk. On the top, unnoticed by the girls, were three small spheres. One by one, the professor enlarged each and placed it in the middle of the wood surface. When he finished, he began speaking once again. "Inside each of these pokeballs is a starter Pokemon. A Charmander." He pointed to the one on the far right. "A Squirtle." He pointed to the one on the far left. "And a Bulbasaur." He pointed to the middle Pokemon. "You may each choose one to start you out on your journey as Pokemon trainers."  
  
Her old sadness forgotten, Kelsey spent a smile stretch her face. The thought of having a Pokemon of her own and of being an actual trainer made her heart light with giddiness. Her fingers itched to pick up one of the balls but she was frozen with indecision. Rachel seemed to be in much the same condition.  
  
Professor Oak seemed to notice their hesitation and motioned them forward with his hand, "Go on. There's no wrong choice." Kelsey and Rachel both began to move forward slowly before stopping in front of the desk. Each one's hand settled on a ball, and both of them heaved a sigh of relief. Kelsey had been half afraid they would choose the same Pokemon.  
  
She felt the cool metal underneath her palm and marvelled at the smoothness of it. Gripping her hand more securely, she lifted it from the table. Kelsey was surprised by the weight, it was heavier than what she had suspected. She followed the thin crease around its middle with her other hand finally coming to the button. Her finger twitched over it.  
  
Gary was looking quizzically at the two of them. "You know, I thought you girls would choose differently." When he was met with confused looks, he elaborated, pointing at Kelsey, "I thought you would choose fire, because of all the red." He motioned to her clothes.  
  
Kelsey frowned; she really wasn't wearing that much red. Looking down, she took in her red stripped shoes, up her blue jeans and on to her red 'I am Canadian' t-shirt. She simply shrugged, not really following Gary's logic. The younger Oak once again rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Are you going to let them out?"  
  
Kelsey looked down at the red and white sphere, wanting dearly to do what Gary had suggested. Clenching her teeth, she looked up and gave him a tight smile, "How exactly do I do that?" Her face reddened as a sweat drop appeared on Gary's forehead.  
  
Gary walked over to her and held up her pokeball. "You see this button here?" He pointed to the raised circle, "Press it." He tossed the ball into the air and Kelsey just barely managed to catch it without fumbling. Looking down at it, she prepared to press the button when a flash from beside her interrupted her.  
  
"Charmander!" The voice was childish and weird to Kelsey's ears as she turned around to see Rachel kneeling on the floor in front of a somewhat familiar orange fire lizard. Rachel reached out a hand and ran it across Charmander's head, feeling the soft fur there. With an almost purr like sound from the Pokemon, she smiled.  
  
Kelsey turned away from the meeting and concentrated on her own pokeball. Pointing it in front of her and tapped the button softly with her index finger. The ball seemed to burst open in her hand and a light flashed in front of her. When it cleared, she looked down at the small Pokemon in front of her.  
  
"Bulbasaur!" The guttural cry brought another smile to Kelsey's lips. She followed Rachel's suit and dropped down to her knees. Reaching out, she hesitantly touched the seed on it's back. The texture surprised her as she felt the petal like softness with a hard uninterrupted shell underneath.  
  
The small green plant like thing nudged against her hand. She looked down into the slightly unreal red eyes of her new Bulbasaur. "Hi, Bulbasaur." She began, her voice soft, "I'm Kelsey. I guess I'm your trainer."  
  
"So, does this mean we get to enter the Indigo League?" Rachel's excited question shocked Kelsey out of the private world she had been sharing with Bulbasaur. She looked up in time to see Professor Oak shake his head.  
  
"No, I'm afraid not." He answered truthfully, "With Team Rocket after you, it would be much to dangerous. All the new trainers from your world our going to the Twilight Islands, to compete in the Twilight League."  
  
"The Twilight League?" the simultaneous question came from both girls. Kelsey knew she had never heard of that league from any of the Pokemon products in her world.  
  
"Yes, the Twilight League," Professor Oak affirmed, "There are 6 Gym's among the group of around 12 islands. I've been told it's quite challenging."  
  
Rachel and Kelsey shared an overwhelmed look with each other. Kelsey was left wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into. When she felt Bulbasaur nudge against her leg, she decided that it wasn't all bad.  
  
"Okay, good luck girls," Professor Oak called out to the forms on the path, "and stay safe!" The two girls were decked out in everything a pokemon trainer could want, all courtesy to the Pallet Town Laboratories. They had felt a little guilty but the professor had brushed it off.  
  
"Don't screw up!" Gary's confidence in them was astounding; it left warmth in their hearts. As they headed south down the road, and hiked their packs higher on their backs, Kelsey couldn't help but wonder when they would get to the port. Gary had told them it would only take around a half a day.  
  
For several minutes, the two girls let their feet pad quietly along, listening to the natural sounds around them. Kelsey let the noise wash over her and tried to place each of them. The shrill cry of Pidgeys above them and the rustling of Ratatas in the tall grass to the side.  
  
Rachel's voice cut through her peaceful reflection quietly, "We'll be okay. This should be fun. Maybe we'll even meet some other people." The voiced thoughts were quiet, and Kelsey could almost believe the other girl was talking to herself.  
  
"Yea," she agreed easily, "There's nothing to worry about except catching pokemon and winning gym badges." The girls shared a smile and it was hard to believe at that point that they had only known each other a day.  
  
The path stretched on and on, and the girls walked it at a leisurely pace. They stopped when they needed to, but that wasn't often right now. It was nearly two hours later that they experienced a major interruption to their schedule.  
  
The crashing from the forest was sudden and abrupt and Kelsey found herself stumbling in surprise. Before she knew it, she was on the ground, looking up in shock. Rachel seemed concerned as she looked at the blonde girl and Kelsey gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Sorry, clumsy."  
  
A second bout of crashing caught the girls' attention. Kelsey rose to her feet slowly at they watched the shaking bushes in curiosity. All the same, it caught them both off-guard when a figure quickly shot out into the open, running at full speed. It was only a second later that he collided with the blonde trainer and sent her to the ground for the second time in minutes  
  
For several moments, the pile on the ground was a churning pit of yelps and pained grunts, as well as uncontrolled swearing. The two of them finally managed to untangle themselves and Kelsey stood staring at the stranger in annoyance.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Kelsey's voice swelled in anger, "You can't just go running people over like that!" She flicked a strand of dusty blonde hair out of her eyes and glared at her assailant. There was a tinge of red on her cheeks.  
  
The teenage boy standing in front of her wasn't that much taller than Kelsey. He had the kind of hair that wasn't quite brown, but wasn't quite blonde either, and was currently mussed from his little nature trip. The green eyes that locked with her were hard and unsympathetic.  
  
"You shouldn't have been in my way." Was his only reply. Kelsey controlled the red haze that was fighting to descend over her eyes and noticed that he had something tucked under his arm. Kelsey squinted, but she couldn't figure out what it was; it was securely wrapped in a blanket.  
  
When the boy noticed her gaze, he quickly brought his package closer to him and intensified his glare. Kelsey met it head on; she wasn't going to let him intimidate her. The two of them could have continued with this if it hadn't been for an interruption from Rachel, who had been watching on the sidelines.  
  
"What were you doing running through the forest like that anyway?" Rachel's voice was somewhat hesitant. She didn't want this guy to react the wrong way; he looked kind of unstable. At the girl's words, his eyes flashed at little and slanted over towards her.  
  
"None of your business," he replied testily, "Now, I'm just going to get out of here, and we're going to forget..." He trailed off as more noise exploded from the forest. In a quick motion that Kelsey didn't even see, he grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a large rock away from the noise.  
  
Rachel saw this and watched bewildered. After a second she shrugged, and followed suit by hiding herself behind another of the large boulders. They crouched there, uncomfortable on the dirt and gravel, for several minutes. Kelsey was almost ready to get up and walk away when she heard voices nearby.  
  
"I'm sure that little brat went this way." The voice was female and out of breath, but oddly familiar to Kelsey. She was sure she had heard it before. She sat there, still crouched, trying to figure out whom it was that was talking.  
  
"Man, for someone so small looking, he sure is fast." A man's tone followed, also familiar to the teenage girl. "We've got to find him though, the boss will kill us if we don't." He sounded kind of nervous at that. Kelsey scrunched her nose in confusion, what were they talking about?  
  
"I know." The female replied, "It would be bad enough if we let another kid go, after those two girls earlier, but he had the egg. Those other-worldly kids may be his current pet project, but that's his obsession." She sighed and her foot thudded against the ground.  
  
"Well, then we better keep looking." Was the male reply, "Think he could have headed out there, down that hill?" His voice was inquisitive and she could hear him start walking, towards their hiding spots. With a bad feeling in her stomach, Kelsey turned to look behind her, noticing for the first time that that side of the road had slanted downwards into some kind of valley. Turning back, she shot a look at her companion.  
  
He had a look of slight panic on his face as he clutched his package to his chest. Kelsey's mind quickly pieced things together. Whatever he was holding must be the egg they had been talking about, probably a Pokemon egg. He must have stolen it from them. Plus, those people knew about the kids from the real world, kids like Kelsey. And their boss ran that project...  
  
Team Rocket. It clicked inside Kelsey's brain. Those voices sounded so familiar because those people were Ian and Ella, the two agents Gary had scared away from her and Rachel earlier. Her eyes widened as she thought of how angry they'd be if they found them.  
  
The footsteps crunched across the path lightly, getting closer and closer. Kelsey sent a desperate look across to Rachel, who looked like she had come to the same conclusion. She quickly made some random hand signals, hoping Rachel would do something, anything, to get Ian and Ella away from them.  
  
If not, in a few seconds, they would be standing right over Kelsey and the mystery boy. Rachel spared an alarmed look around her before grabbing the first thing she saw, a medium sized pebble. Grasping it in her now sweaty palm, she spared a nervous glance over her rock, wound up, and let loose.  
  
The pebble flew across the path, luckily unnoticed by the two Team Rocket agents, and landed noisily several feet into the forest. The noise was pretty abrupt, and Ian and Ella spun around to face it. It was several seconds before either of them spoke. The hiding teens held their breath.  
  
"Damn it!" Ella cried in frustration, "He must have double back! Come on, Ian, we can still catch up to them." The two set off running, trampling through the underbrush into the forest. After several minutes of tense peace, the teens deemed it safe to stand up.  
  
All three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief. Kelsey turned towards Rachel and smiled, "That was amazing." The statement was simple with a lot of conviction behind it. Rachel felt a small blush coming on.  
  
"Yeah," said the boy quietly, "Thanks." He readjusted the egg in his arms and stuck out his hand to Kelsey, "I'm Chet." Kelsey looked at the hand in relative surprise before sticking out her own and shaking.  
  
"I'm Kelsey."  
  
"And I'm Rachel. Now do you mind telling us why Team Rocket's after you?" she asked. She looked slightly energized from their little experience. "There after us because we're from another world. You?"  
  
Chet gave her a bewildered look before managing to answer, "Me too. Plus, I stole this egg." He seemed uncomfortable talking, but continued, "I didn't think they were going to treat it that well, so..." He looked around, searching for an easy way to get out of there.  
  
"So, I'm guessing they don't like you that much right now." Kelsey's response wasn't actually a question, "Then you're in the same boat as us. Maybe, you'd want to come travel with us?"  
  
Chet shifted nervously on the spot. On one hand, they had helped him out against Team Rocket. But, he didn't know anything about them other than the fact that they weren't from this world. Rachel seemed to notice his problem.  
  
"Well, you're going this way, aren't you?" Chet nodded. "So are we. You might as well come along for now." Chet shrugged, he supposed that was non-committal enough. Kelsey smiled and started walking down the road, the other two following her.  
  
About a minute later, she turned and looked at him. "So, do you have any Pokemon? I have a Bulbasaur, and Rachel..." 


End file.
